Pre-reading questions:
- How often do you eat burgers?
- Do you like McDonald’s?
- Do you visit other foreign fast food chains in your area?
McDonald’s has handed 80% of its operations worth $2.1 billion to Citic group and Carlyle group. The two firms will take over 2,000 McDonald’s outlets in China and Hongkong. Under the new partnership, Citic takes a 52% stake while Carlyle handles 28% of the share. The American fast food chain keeps the remaining portion of 20%.
This step is in line with the company’s goal to add more outlets in China, Hongkong and South Korea in the next 5 years.Yum brands, the owner of KFC and Pizza Hut, is also working on a new business strategy. Both competing companies intend to recover from food safety scandals currently reported across Asia.
Vocabulary:
firm – a business unit or enterprise
hand – to give, pass
stake – an interest or share
remaining – still present, not yet used
strategy – a careful plan or method for achieving a particular goal
Comprehension Questions:
- To which group of companies has McDonald’s handed most of its operations?
- Where are the locations of the outlets that the two companies will take over?
- What is the company’s next goal?
- What is the rival company of McDonald’s in Asia?
- What do the competing companies intend to do?
Express Your Opinion:
- Both McDonald’s and Yum Brands are both working hard to fight the food safety scare across Asia.
- Define “fast food” in five adjectives.
- Fast food, although not healthy, is still popular around the world.